James Billings

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Ensign James Billings (1688–1761), son of Ebenezer Billings and Anne Comstock

Mary Hewitt (bp. 1694–1763), daughter of Lieutenant Benjamin Hewitt and Mary Fanning

James, the son of Ebenezer Billings, was born on 4 October 1688 in Stonington. [1] He was baptized on 11 May 1690 in Stonington. [2] He died between 23 July and 9 October 1761. He married Mary Hewitt on 17 March 1714/5 in Stonington. [2][3]

Mary Hewitt, the daughter of Benjamin Hewitt, was baptized on 12 August 1694 in Stonington. [2] She died between 29 January and 25 May 1763.

Her father referred to Mary as Mary Billings in his will of 25 April 1725.

James was ensign of the second Stonington company on 11 May 1732. [4]

James Billings of Stonington, “being weak,” made his will on 23 July 1761. [5]

I give my loving wife Mary Billings the use of one-half of my dwelling house and other buildings during her natural life … to let my daughter Eunice Babcock have a privilege in the house with her during her continuing to be a widow … to said wife Mary ye use and improvement of one-third of my lands during her natural life … all my household stuff and one mare and two cows, to take her choice, to be hers forever … also one-third … of my movable estate (after debts, funeral charges and charge of administration) to be hers forever … I also order that my wife have two bushels of wheat a year and her fire wood cut … and brought to ye door by my son Jesse Billings … I give to my son James Billings [130] pounds … I give to my daughter Eunice Babcock five pounds … I give to my son-in-law Capt. Joseph Palmer five pounds … I give to my son-in-law Timothy Babcock three pounds … I give to my granddaughter Mary Billings, ye daughter of my son Amos Billings, deceased, ten pounds … I give all my lands and buildings and appurtenances and all of the remainder of my movable estate to my sd. son Jesse Billings.

James named his wife Mary and son Jesse his executors. Witnesses testified and inventory, amounting to £581 08s. 06d. was taken on 9 October 1761. Jesse swore to the inventory on 12 October 1761.

Mary signed her will on 29 January 1763; it was proved on 25 May 1763. [4]

Children of James Billings and Mary Hewitt, births recorded in Stonington as children of James: [1]

i. Zipporah Billings was born on 2 October 1715/6. She died in 1765 or 1766. She married Captain Joseph Palmer.

ii. James Billings was born on 20 September 1719. He was baptized on 3 April 1720 in Preston. [4] He died after 23 July 1761. He married Margaret Fanning in 1740. [4] Margaret was the daughter of William Fanning. [4] She was born in 1727 and died on 27 March 1752. [4]

iii. Eunice Billings was born on 17 August 1721. She married Ezekiel Babcock. [4] Ezekiel, the son of Robert Babcock, was born on 22 June 1716. [4] He died before 23 July 1761.

iv. Lois Billings was born on 6 January 1723/4. She was baptized on 5 April 1724 in Stonington. [2] She died on 14 October 1756 in Stonington. She married Timothy Babcock on 1 July 1745 in Stonington. [1][4] Timothy, the son of James and Sarah (Vose) Babcock and the grandson of Edward Vose was born on 12 October 1724 and died on 3 December 1795 in Stonington. [4][6] He married second Thankful Read on 20 October 1757 in Norwich. [6] Thankful, the daughter of John and Lydia (Caswell) Read, was born on 31 October 1725. [6]

v. Amos Billings was born on 9 May 1728. He died before 14 November 1753. He married Bethiah Minor of Stonington on 10 Jan 1749/50 in Stonington. [1] Bethiah, the daughter of James Minor was born on 10 March 1730/1 in Stonington. [1] Bethiah married second David Minor on 14 November 1753 in Stonington. [4] David, the son of Samuel Minor, was born on 26 September 1726 in Stonington. [1]

vi. David Billings was born on 6 September 1730. He probably died before 23 July 1761, when he was not mentioned in his father’s will.

vii. Captain Jesse Billings was born on 18 April 1737. He married Grace Breed on 5 March 1761.[4] Grace, the daughter of Captain John Breed, was born on 21 June 1740 in Stonington. [1]

Jesse was a captain of the 25th Connecticut Regiment on 21 October 1778. [4]

Endnotes

1. "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," database with images, AmericanAncestors.org > Stonington: James's birth and marriage, births of the children, Lois's marriage, Amos's marriage (19–22); Bethiah and David Minor's birth records (163–6), Grace Breed's birth (26).

2. Richard A Wheeler., History of the First Congregational Church, Stonington, Conn., 1674–1874 (Norwich, T.H. Davis and Co., 1875). Thomas's baptism (198), Mary's baptism (199), Lois's baptism (216).

3. Manasseh Minor, The Diary of Manasseh Minor: Stonington, Conn., 1696–1720 (n.p: published by Frank Denison Miner with the assistance of Hannah Miner, 1988), 123. "March 1714/5: 17 “James biling mared."

4. Spencer-Mounsey, Creighton, “The Billings Family of Connecticut,” New England Historical and Genealogical Register 81 (1927), 156–78.

5. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609–1999," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9049) > New London > Probate Records, vol. G–H, 1755–1768 > images 432–3, James Billings.

6. Ellen Vose, Robert Vose and His Descendants (Stoughton, MA: n.p., 1932), 28.